Letter to Herzl from Egypt’s First Zionist Society

Bar Kokhba Jewish Society

1897

“Bar Kokhba” Jewish Society
Cairo, Egypt
Founded the 1st of Adar I 5657

February 1897

Central Headquarters
Mr. Theodor Herzl
Editor of the “Neue Freie Presse”
Vienna

Sir, dear coreligionist in your Jewish State,

Over a year ago, the “Carmel”1 was not only the first to salute your solemn entry into the Zionist ranks, but also to encourage your project which…

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Creator Bio

Bar Kokhba Jewish Society

1897–1904

Founded in Cairo in 1896 by Joseph Marco Baruch (1872–1899), the Bar Kokhba Jewish Society was the first formal Zionist organization in Egypt—indeed, in the islamic world in general. Its membership included Arabic-speaking, Ladino-speaking, and Ashkenazic Jews alike; by 1901, it had opened branches in other Egyptian cities. It disbanded in 1904 due to the challenges of internal politics, but its alumni continued to have prominent roles in Zionist activism and the Egyptian Jewish community.

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